Her Story
About Paula
Paula Digerness is the Executive Director and Administrator of Carlsbad by the Sea Retirement Community, a Front Porch community, where she leads independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing operations. With 24 years in the senior housing field, her career path has taken her from corporate roles centered on quality and business development into hands-on community leadership, including stops in Los Angeles and a large community in New Jersey before returning to the San Diego area. Along the way, she earned her nursing home administrator license and built a reputation for person-centered operations, currently working to expand services at her community to include memory care.
A lifelong learner, Digerness holds a Master's degree in Long Term Care Administration from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Social Work at the same institution, with an anticipated graduation in 2027. Her academic pursuits reflect her broader professional philosophy: giving residents more voice in their daily lives and refining assisted-living practices in ways that could extend well beyond a single community. She credits much of her professional growth to the mentorship of Sean Kelly, whose compassionate, knowledgeable approach to serving older adults shaped her own leadership style.
Outside of her day-to-day responsibilities, Digerness serves on the board of Elder Help, a nonprofit dedicated to helping low- and no-income seniors remain safely housed through grants, home-share programs, and access to healthcare and transportation. She is also an active member of LeadingAge. Guided by kindness, compassion, and an enduring sense of optimism, she encourages young professionals entering the field to pursue work they love with hard-earned dedication, while pointing to institutional rigidity and lawsuit-driven caution as some of the biggest obstacles still facing senior housing today.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Paula
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the guidance of a great mentor, Sean Kelly, who taught me the importance of pairing compassion with knowledge in order to truly help those in need, especially our aging population.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to stay positive and hopeful, to never lose their kindness or compassion, and to be prepared to work hard at something they truly love.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I see in our field is institutional rigidity and risk-averse programming, often driven by the fear of lawsuits, which can get in the way of person-centered innovation. At the same time, I see real opportunity in building out needed services, such as memory care, and in improving assisted-living processes in ways that could have a broader regional or national impact.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Kindness, compassion, positivity, and hopefulness are the values that matter most to me, both professionally and personally.
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